This 13-Year-Old is Headed to Medical School. "Mama I Made it."
Alena Analeigh will be starting medical school in 2024.
In the popular 1989 sitcom Doogie Howser, MD, a young Neil Patrick Harris plays a teenage prodigy who becomes the youngest licensed doctor in the country at the age of 14. While the plotline seemed unrealistic to most, the show ran four seasons and the actor became a household name. This week, life imitates art as a 13-year-old girl, who graduated high school at the age of 12, has been accepted into medical school.
"Today I'm just grateful. I graduated High school LAST YEAR at 12 years old and here I am one year later I've been accepted into Med School at 13," Alena Analeigh, who goes by The Brown STEM Girl on Instagram, started her post. "I'm a junior in college. I've worked so hard to reach my goals and live my dreams."
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She then went on to give her mother credit for her success. "Mama I made it. I couldn't have done it without you. You gave me every opportunity possible to be successful. You cheered me on, wiped my tears, gave me oreos when I needed comfort, you never allowed me to settle, disciplined me when I needed . You are the best mother a kid could ever ask for. MAMA I MADE IT! You always believed in me.You allowed me space to grow and become, make mistakes without making me feel bad. You allowed me the opportunity to experience the world," she continued. "I pray God blesses me so big you never ever have to want for anything in this earthly life. You sacrificed so much for me (people have no idea what we have been through) and here I am while it seems so far away the end of this college chapter is going by so fast. MOMMY I MADE IT!!!!!"
RELATED: This 13-Year-Old is Headed to Medical School. "Mama I Made it."
In the post, she also shared an image of her acceptance letter from the Burroughs Wellcome Scholars Early Assurance Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Heersink School of Medicine, which she will attend in 2024. The school confirmed her admission to CNN. According to their website, the school, a partnership between the medical school and Alabama HBCU's provides early acceptance to the students who meet their requirements for acceptance and matriculation.
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"I'm still a normal 13-year-old," Alena, who is studying for two separate degrees at both Arizona State University and Oakwood University, told The Washington Post in an interview. While most people would consider her a genius, the modest teen chalks it all up to dedication. "I just have extremely good time management skills and I'm very disciplined," she said.
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However, according to her mom, Daphne McQuarter, her daughter was blessed with a beautiful mind. "Alena was gifted," she told The Washington Post. "It was just how she did things and how advanced she was. She was reading chapter books." Alena is looking forward to paving the way for other young, Black girls. "It feels amazing to be able to create a path for girls that look like me," she told WP. "It doesn't matter how old you are. You can do it. Don't let anybody tell you no."